A resident of Lake Village neighborhood was able to get the Southern California Gas Co. to remove this data collection unit pole, the pole was recently installed by Southern California Gas Co. in Temecula, September, 18, 2013.

A resident of Lake Village neighborhood was able to get the Southern California Gas Co. to remove this data collection unit pole, the pole was recently installed by Southern California Gas Co. in Temecula, September, 18, 2013.

A resident of Lake Village neighborhood was able to get the Southern California Gas Co. to remove this data collection unit pole, the pole was recently installed by Southern California Gas Co. in Temecula, September, 18, 2013.

The Southern California Gas Co. recently installed 23 data collection units Temecula as part of the rollout of its $1 billion advanced meter system upgrade.

The units, which look like street light poles topped by a small solar array, pick up signals from small communications devices that will be attached to existing meters. The units then transmit the data to a central gas company hub.

The system, which was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, allows the utility to remotely monitor gas usage and provide that information to customers. It eliminates the need for meter readers to drive around Southern California, which will reduce the utility’s carbon footprint.

Javier Mendoza, a Southern California Gas Co. spokesman, said Wednesday that the communications devices associated with the units in Temecula are scheduled to be installed in the first quarter of 2014.

When the entire system is operational, the communications devices will power on for a fraction of a second each day and send gas usage information to the units. They will not enable the utility to shut off gas or respond remotely in the event of a leak.

“It’s much different than ‘smart meters’,” Mendoza said, referring to meters used by electricity providers that allow them to turn power on and off.

temmeters.graphic

In October, the gas company will install some 20 units in Murrieta. The advanced meters associated with that city’s system will follow in the second quarter of 2014.

The cost of the entire system is being absorbed by the gas company’s ratepayers, but utility officials estimate that the investment may yield operating and environmental benefits of more than $3.5 billion, which will be passed on to customers over the life of the project.

In the Lake Village area of Temecula, the installation of one of the data collection units came as a shock to resident George Rombach.

Rombach said his neighborhood is one of the city’s oldest and it does not have street lights or power poles, which the residents appreciate.

Rombach complained about the pole to the City Council at a Tuesday meeting, heard the next day from a Southern California Gas Co. representative, who said the pole will be moved.

“Common sense prevailed,” Rombach said by phone Monday.

The pole will be moved a few blocks away, outside of Lake Village, in the next couple of weeks, Rombach said.

The city received a handful of similar complaints from residents but the installation of poles has been cleared by the California Public Utilities Commission, which takes the matter out of the city’s jurisdiction.

The utility estimates the advanced meters will take 1,000 Southern California Gas vehicles off the road every day. That will eliminate 6.3 million vehicle miles and approximately 140,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year.

Mendoza said the response to the system has been positive, which fewer than one percent of the utility’s customers – 600,000 have already received upgraded meters – expressing reservations.

“We make every effort to be sensitive to neighbors and the environment and minimize disruption,” Mendoza said.

Aaron Claverie covers Temecula and Murrieta for The Press-Enterprise. The San Diego State graduate has covered everything from the swirling form of a bullfighter to the machinations at city hall during a career that has included stops in Washington D.C., the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, Baja California, the Imperial Valley and Silicon Valley. He has been honored for both his work as an editor and reporter, including a first place award from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. In addition to his coverage of city affairs, Claverie has helped out on both the entertainment and sports desks over the years, covering the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Comic-Con International San Diego, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the NFL, NCAA football, MLS, NBA and MLB.

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